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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. row — a line
  3. file — a document
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. suit — in cards
  7. file — a tool
  8. bark — to shout
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — magic
  13. file — a line of people
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — clothes
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. squash — the sport
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. spell — letters

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com